When we explore the oldest traditions all around the world, we see the foundations of sacred soil, sacred earth, and our own place in the Cycle of Life. Even science has begun to agree with the Upanishads: we live in an interconnected web. Whether East Indian or American Indian, what Chief Seattle said holds true:

“Every part of the earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every meadow, every humming insect. All are holy in the memory and experience of my people.
…

“This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself. “

I focus on farming for a reason. (See this, this, and this.) The need to return to local, sustainable production of of real, i.e., non-GMO, organic food is not just a nostalgic nod to the past. Indeed, dismantling Big Ag may be the single most crucial shift that will allow the continuing planetary presence of humans and other Earthlings during this emerging era that we call, for want of a more apt, alarming phrase, “climate change.”

‘In living soil lies the solution to climate change, both through mitigation and adaptation,’ writes Shiva. (Photo: file)

At this fragile moment of human evolution—in the immediate wake of yesterday’s celebration of Mother Earth Day—we have a moment to reflect on the state of the Earth and the human condition, as well as…

Most of our cultures across the world have believed in Mother Earth as a Mother and it’s only in this period of the rising of industrialism and capitalism and colonialism that the idea as the Earth as a Mother was destroyed in order to turn the Earth into a reservoir of resources to be exploited.

Right now we can see Mother Earth is rising and say you are an immature spoiled kid and you are going to far and every time a disaster in my view is Mother Earth shaking us up to say get your a[ct] together.

75 % of the food comes from small farms, those who use 25 % of the land and 25 % food comes from those who use 75 % of the land. If those who only providing 25 % food using 75 % of the land controll 100 % of the land, they will bring the foodsupply to 33 %, which means all of the planet is destroyed.

It is the monoculture of the mind which prevents to see the diversity. It is only organic, biodivers and small which will feed the world.

The new science of false objectivity, the new science of false rationality of a tree or nature defining as death, that science was a very patriarchal science and it required women to be killed as witches. The witchhunts, the colonization and the destruction of Nature are the three colonizations, it is a colonization of the mind.

During the ‘Voedsel Anders Conferentie’ in Wageningen in the Netherlands, after planting of a so-called food forest, Migarda Raphaëla, Robin Bukenya and Roland van Reenen had this intriguing conversation with the Indian scientist and activist Vandana Shiva. It was an honor to share the richness of diversity both natural as human. If only we could decolonize our minds, diversity will feeds us in so many ways!

Free online talks with visionaries, Earth healers, permaculture designers, and food/seed sovereignty advocates. Click here to see the lineup of events. Some of us plan to gather locally to watch and discuss how these great ideas might apply to our own yards, commons and cities. I’m especially excited for Thursday’s talk with Transition Town founder Rob Hopkins and Starhawk.

Scientist, activist, author Vandana Shiva talks about the importance of saving non-GMO seeds and her concept of ‘Earth Democracy.’

“Societies and economies can be destroyed by bombs. Societies can also be destroyed by locking every aspect of life like provision of food and water through an economic war.” ~ Vandana Shiva

“Gandhi is the other person. I believe Gandhi is the only person who knew about real democracy — not democracy as the right to go and buy what you want, but democracy as the responsibility to be accountable to everyone around you. Democracy begins with freedom from hunger, freedom from unemployment, freedom from fear, and freedom from hatred. To me, those are the real freedoms on the basis of which good human societies are based.” ~Vandana Shiva

“In nature’s economy the currency is not money, it is life.” ~Vandana Shiva

Thanks to Ann Kreilkamp at Exopermaculture for bringing this gem of a video to my attention. Wow, two of my favorite people on the planet — Bill Moyers and Vandana Shiva — talking about GMO’s, making Peace with the Earth, and the interconnectedness of all things.

From Ann’s notes:

Moyers asks her what keeps her going.

Vandana Shiva: There’s a very simple lesson that Krishna gives in the Gita: You do not measure the fruit of your action. You measure your obligation for action. You have to find out what is the right thing to do. That is your duty. Whether you win or lose is not the issue.

Small farmers are still producing 80% of the world’s food. We forget the scale of what smallness means multiplied many times, because we’ve gotten used to the dinosaur mentality. We only see the big. We forget that dinosaurs went extinct.

Moyers: some people have said that globalization, the movement of people, ideas, money, across national boundaries as if they didn’t exist is also a demonstration of interconnectedness.

Shiva: First of all, this is not interconnectedness. It’s an extremely artificial corporate rule on a global scale. All that’s floating around is commodities! Still the billiard board (Newtonian) model! The world of interconnectedness would recognize that the rivers of China need to flow free. . . That people at work need to exercise. . .

This corporatization of the globe into commodities — that “flow” is not a flow of interconnectedness, but is leading to disconnection. I watch every day, the displacement, the divisions, and the violence that results.

That’s “interconnectedness” through greed, and an exclusion of people, the denial of their humanity. We are seeing a drop of our sense of humanity, and a collapse of our recognition that we are one species.

And much, much more from Vandana Shiva, who I’m tempted to say, speaks for the Earth Mother herself. She certainly looks like a goddess!